That Boy
by Airanke
Summary: You're pretty" - that was the first time anyone had told me that. KoKasu; Kojyuro x Kasuga.
1. Chapter 1

So yeah, the pairing will come as a big surprise. Please, guess away! xDDD You might be surprised and you might not be...

But just keep in mind that there aren't many characters in Basara with... platinum hair.

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Chapter 1: Stranger.**

It was a day like any other day for me. The sun fighting to trickle in under the blinds, the songbirds outside in the tree singing the same song they sang every morning. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a while, pondering on the cracks that were there. There were the same amount of cracks in the ceiling as there had always been.

I heard my mother call my name, wearily. I frowned. She didn't sleep that much anymore, not with father gone. I didn't expect him to ever come back – he never called, never emailed, never did anything that a father should do. Never even spent proper time with me.

I kicked off my blankets and got out of bed, walking over to my wardrobe. I never wore a shirt to bed, and usually never wore a shirt ever. I always wore a baggy hoody, whether it be a zip up hoody or not. I pulled out my favorite one, the one with a gold star right in the middle. I pulled it on over my head and slipped off my pants. On came a pair of faded jeans, and a belt to cinch them around my waist. I walked out of my room, running a hand through my short blonde hair.

"Good morning, mom."

She frowned at my choice of clothing but gave me a smile, "morning, dearest."

She never questioned me about why I wore the clothes I did, but I knew that she wasn't impressed by it. I knew she didn't like it, but I couldn't help it! I didn't really want people to notice me when I went outside.

I went into the kitchen where a plate of food was waiting for me: one egg, a piece of toast and some bacon. I looked over my shoulder at mom; she shrugged, her smiling broadening before she took a sip of her coffee. I poured myself a cup, dropped in two lumps of sugar, and walked back to the table with my plate and coffee. I sat down across from her.

"I will never understand why you dress like that."

"It's okay, I don't expect you to."

She rolled her eyes and I snickered. Of course I was just teasing her – she knew it too. And she had an idea as to why I dressed the way I did, but like I said, she never questioned me about it. She got up from the table to put her cup in the sink.

"What are you doing today?" she asked as she slowly walked out of the kitchen and towards her room at the end of the hall. She was waiting for my response so I quickly swallowed the egg I was chewing.

"I'll be going to the Internet café today, and then I'll probably go draw in the park."

"Okay. Just be home in time for supper."

"I will be."

"And take your phone with you, all right?" she called as her door closed. I finished off my toast and the last piece of bacon and stared at my empty plate. It was like this all the time. My mother taught at a nearby school and I always went to the Internet café. I would stay out all night if I knew she wasn't going to be home – she had another part time job, as a waitress at a high-class restaurant.

We lived in a basic apartment flat. It wasn't that plain: paintings were hung all over the walls, there were paintings in my room, paintings everywhere. Some paintings were mine. I had asked my parents why they didn't want to live in a fancier apartment building, with a better pool, gym and other facilities. My parents response was that they didn't want to spend the money renting an expensive apartment. Plus, this place was pretty decent.

We're actually quite rich; ever since father left mom liked to keep herself busy. Her pay from the restaurant and teaching was very good, despite the fact that she only worked part-time at the restaurant. Because of how much she worked she insisted that I didn't need to get a job, and that should I ever want to go shopping for new clothes she had filled my bank account with about twenty-thousand dollars for me to spend on a new wardrobe.

I shook my head, _'I don't think I'll ever be wanting a new wardrobe... but most likely, in the future...'_ I sighed and got up from the table, going to the kitchen. I washed the few dishes that were in the sink, thinking.

_'But even so, with mom working two jobs, I feel like we have too much money for two people... maybe dad's keeping in touch after all?'_

My dad wasn't a horrible guy; actually, he was a great father. He left eight months ago, three weeks after I started dressing in such baggy clothes and the like, and going to sleep shirtless. He promised that he would come back as soon as his job permitted him to return to Japan. Even I didn't know what his job was. Not even mom knew. I figured it was a government job.

The dishes were done now, and I could hear the shower in my mom's room going. So I walked into my own bathroom an looked at myself in the mirror. I disappointed myself with my appearance.

See, I was trying to grow out my hair, but it wasn't growing the way I wanted it to. My bangs were the only thing about my short hair that I liked.

"Darlin'?" my mom called. I switched off the bathroom light and walked out.

"Yeah, mom?"

"I'll be leaving soon. And don't forget your phone."

I smiled at her and rolled my eyes, "of course I won't forget my phone mom."

She peeked out her door, her eyes dancing. She disappeared inside again, I assumed to finish getting dressed. I walked back into the living room and lay down on the couch. I'd go to the café today at around noon. It's only eight in the morning right now, so I think I'll just rest here for a bit.

A few minutes later and I feel my mother press her soft lips to my forehead. I drift off into a dreamless sleep.

I'm awoken by more powerful sunlight shining on me and I reluctantly open my eyes. It's eleven-fifty, about time I should be leaving to go to the café. I smile to myself.

_'I always manage to wake up when I want to.'_

This fact has always pleased me to no end, and I quickly get up off the couch and make my way back to my room to get my phone.

I've got my own computer, but I don't really like to use it. Unless I'm asleep I don't like being home alone. I'll never be telling this to my mom, because she'll quit her jobs straight up and stay at home with me. I have all her shifts timed perfectly, and thankfully she always tells me if she gets off work early twenty minuted before she... well... gets off work early.

I grab my phone, unadorned, and stick it in my left front pocket. My wallet goes into my other pocket; a plain, black wallet. Nothing special about anything I have.

I pass by the bathroom and squint at the mirror, fixing my bangs. My reflection isn't that noticeable, but I believe my bangs look better the way they now sit and I make my way to the door, grabbing one of the five sets of keys on the hooks near the door. Why we had so many sets of keys I'll never know, but I didn't really care.

Ten minutes later and I'm already at the Internet café. There's hardly anyone there, especially at this hour. In the middle of the afternoon girls are always out shopping and guys are always playing basketball in the courts. Or they're at school, eating their lunches. It's almost the end of the school year... I'll probably stop coming here when that happens. I don't like being around people because they usually stare at me like I'm a weirdo.

I walk slowly over to the computer I always use, giving Raphael - the young man behind the counter - a small wave. He smiles at me, like he always does. He never used to, but when I started coming in regularly he would say hi and talk to me sometimes. Right now he's on the phone.

If there's a day or two that I don't come he asks me where I was those past few days, like he's a teacher of some sort and I'm his student. I just laugh at him and tell him I was tired so I slept the day away. He would laugh along with me.

I turn on the computer and wait for it to load, then I go to gmail to check my mail. There's an email from Itsuki, who's in Canada right now, studying, and one from Yukimura. Gods, I missed that brunette fluff-ball. I read his email first.

It's a silly email as usual. He always thinks he needs to tell me all about his day; I appreciate this. It's really cute and sweet of him, to tell me everything that happens with his life. And he's so honest about everything too, even when he admitted that for a while he had had this little crush on me. He was cute beyond words when he actually told me.

He's doing good in school, his teachers adore him (because he's an idiot, he's typed in small text), and he has a lot of friends. His next sentence is all squished together followed by the typed version of a blushing face. I decipher the sentence to read "I know this is going to sound so weird but I have a girlfriend now and her name's Akihime". My eyes widen in delight at this sentence. So the fluff-ball has finally gotten himself a girlfriend.

_'It's about time!'_ I quickly start typing up my reply. It takes me about thirty minutes to finish my reply, responding to everyone of his questions and demanding to know more about this girlfriend of his. I'm about to send it when I remember that I don't know what she looks like. Quickly, I add a PS demanding that he send me a photo of the two of them together. And also a few of him and his new friends. I send the email, grinning to myself, and move onto Itsuki's.

Compared to Yukimura she's not doing so well. Her exams are coming up and her relationship with some kid called Ranmaru just got complicated – they were never dating, but something happened and she refuses to tell me unless I call her. I'm immediately fearing the worst.

_'Calm down, calm down. The worst could have happened by that doesn't mean it did,'_ I read on and find out that she thinks that the guy she likes knows that he likes her. I immediately think of Masamune, one of the seniors at her school; he's the guy that she likes. She'd sent me a picture of him and her and I have to admit, the guy is hot. The fact that he wears an eye patch over his right eye adds to his already handsome features.

_'So she's having guy problems, because whatever's happened between Itsuki and Ranmaru is making Masamune quite hostile towards the younger boy... right, I forgot that Itsuki and Masamune are pretty close... ugh, complicated, complicated...'_

I take some time to try and help her sort out her guy problems. In my opinion she should just confess to Masamune that she likes him; after all, he's a senior and she's a freshman, so next year he'll be gone off to university and she'll probably never get the chance to see him again. She should confess while she can.

I tell her that in order for me to help her with this Ranmaru problem that's arisen she needs to tell me what happened, or else I'm never gonna' be able to help and I'll just be left here thinking of all the worst possible things that he could've done to her. Or she could have done to him. Whichever.

As I'm answering some of her questions Raphael greets someone who's walked in. I look up in curiosity, wondering who it is that Raphael is so happy to see. My eyes widen and my hands still on the keyboard.

The boy that's walked in – well, no, that's wrong, there's no _way_ he's a _boy_ – is tall and handsome. Very, very handsome. He has dark brown hair that he's slicked back, though there are a few stray strands resting against his forehead. I'm disappointed that the dim lighting in the café doesn't allow me to see his eye color. They look to be gray in color. He and Raphael are talking about something that has to do with university.

_'University...'_ I suppress my sigh. University is somewhere I should be already, studying about law or something. But no, I decided that I wanted to stay cooped up in Japan, doing nothing with my life. Mom said I just needed time. Since she went to uni at the same time all her friends did, she doesn't know how it feels when all your friends are at university making something out of their lives while you're sitting at home doing nothing with yours. It's not a very good feeling to have. I look back at my email, trying to focus when I feel eyes on me. I look up.

The boy and Raphael are looking at me, and I notice that there's a scar present on the boy's left cheek. How I hadn't noticed that before I blame on the horrible lighting; now that the light's hitting it I can see it shimmer a little, like all scars do. It looks nice.

He looks back at Raphael and asks him something; Raphael smiles at me and then responds to the boy. I quickly shake my head and return to the email. It's hard for me to focus now that I've been distracted. I bite my lip.

_'I come here in the hopes of not getting distracted! Of all the days for that boy to show up...'_ I peek up to see if he's still at the counter. He's not and I find myself searching for him. He's sitting at a computer, his back to me. I take the time to observe him a little more.

His shoulders are broad and he looks like he has big arms. Arms that are good at hugging. He's dressed in clothes similar to mine but his are more form fitting, even his jeans. He straightens slightly from his relaxed position and turns his head a little. I blush and quickly fix my eyes back on the computer screen. I can't believe I let myself get caught staring. After a tense moment I return to typing my email back to Itsuki.

I get stuck on one of Itsuki's questions: "what will you be doing this summer?"

I know I can't tell her that I don't know. She won't be very happy with that, and she always scolds me about it too. I should know what I'm doing, she'll tell me.

_'I guess I can tell her I'm staying in Japan... although mom wants to go to Canada, so I'll say that me staying in Japan isn't set in stone yet and that I might be coming to Canada. Yeah, that's what I can tell her. She won't get mad at me about that.'_

I smile to myself and start typing that up. It's then that I hear the sounds of the chair next to me being pulled out and when I look I see that boy is sitting in it, leaning against the desk that the computers are lined up on, looking at me very curiously. I stare at him in surprise, my hands stilling on the keyboard.

_'No man has ever approached me before. Ever. Raphael is an exception, because I talked to him first,'_ I'm afraid that I might start sweating if he stares at me any longer. His eyes are a very, very, very beautiful green. Like emeralds. I try to focus on my email reply to Itsuki again; Raphael sets down the phone he's been speaking into and makes his way into the back room to do something.

_'I wish he would stop staring at me! It's making me self-conscious,'_ I can't stop myself from reaching up and tucking some of my hair behind my ear. I really wish he would stop staring. I look at him again and try to tell him to please stop staring when he speaks.

"You're pretty."

I blink at him, shocked.

_'Did he just... compliment me? I think he did. I think he just complimented me.'_

I can't believe this. No one has ever told me I'm pretty before – my mother, father and Yukimura don't count. That and no stranger has told me I'm pretty before. I can't manage to say anything; my mouth just hangs open a bit in shock. The small smile on his lips start to widen, and I finally find my voice.

"Th-thanks..." and it's back to trying to finish my email to Itsuki, while blushing and not focusing properly. He doesn't say anything in response but changes his positioning on the chair, so now he's straddling it and facing me, resting his chin on his arms, which he has crossed over the top of the chair.

He continues to stare at me.

His persistent staring is really preventing me from finishing my email to Itsuki. And... is that his breath I can feel on my neck?

I turn my head to figure out how in the world I can feel his breath on my neck. The only thought that passes through my mind before shutting down completely is, _'when the hell did he get so close?'_

My eyes blink themselves rapidly. No man had ever gotten this close to me before. And by this close I mean almost kissing close. His eyes are so distracting; he has that look like he's wondering if he should do something or move away. Instead of moving away like I'm thinking he will, he moves his head closer and kisses me. It takes me a moment to close my eyes. I've never been kissed before.

Not by a man, anyway. The fact that girls are so attracted to me will bother me forever. It's been one of the reasons why I want to grow my hair longer... this boy... he has nice lips. Nice smooth lips.

He pulls back and I manage to open my eyes a little. He's gazing at me with those bright emerald eyes, then he raises his right hand and draws my mouth to his again. I clench my fingers when he slips his tongue past my lips. A deeper kiss – now _this_ has definitely never happened to me before.

I find myself leaning towards him, kissing him back. He closes his lips and smiles, then separates from me. I can only stare at him as he strokes my face once and then stands. He starts walking away and looks over his shoulder at me, waving.

"You're such a tomboy. Really cute. See ya around."

He's leaving as Raphael is coming back out from the back room. They say bye to each other and I try to get a hold of myself. I force my eyes to focus on the screen in front of me.

That boy has made it so I can't even think to finish my email, and so I just type to Itsuki what's on my mind right now:

_I'd type a more elaborate reply but I just got kissed by a total stranger. And he told me I was pretty._

I don't even have the mental capacity to add my name at the bottom; I just quickly press send and cover my burning cheeks with my hands. I lean back against the chair, staring blankly.

_'... does he really find me pretty?'_ I ask myself, looking down at my hoody. It's so baggy that it hides even my largest assets. I tug on it, frowning.

_'How can he find someone like me pretty?'

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_So? Who do you think they are? (the guy is totally a given haha)


	2. Chapter 2

I just noticed how I can title these chapters to be really... a development of their relationship. Both characters are revealed in this chapter; grats to those of you who guessed one of them right XDDDD

And I know I know, most of the people who watch me on here could care less and are either all "OMFG UPDATE S&C" or "OMFG UPDATE VAMP!" but truth be told... I don't know if I can anymore. At least, I doubt I'll be able to update VAMP anymore...

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Chapter 2: Acquaintance.**

_'It's been a while since I've seen that boy...'_ I sigh and look out my window at the night sky. I'm sitting in my room shirtless, unable to sleep. Ever since that boy kissed me and called my pretty out of the blue, I've been so restless. I feel like that's my first kiss gone, like the wind, and now that he's taken it – and probably my heart with the way I can't stop thinking about him – he's gone off somewhere.

I sigh again, a little angry with myself. He's most likely busy with university classes; university, which he goes to and I don't. I want to go to university but...

_'I just don't know what I want to study...'_ I stifle a sneeze and stare out the window some more. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he thinks I'm pretty, with all my baggy clothes and short hair, total tomboy look...

I don't know how long I stare out the window, but the sun is just beginning to peek over the mountains out my window so I reach over and close the blinds before dragging myself into bed. As I close my eyes I wonder about sneaking into my mom's bathroom and putting on some of her make up.

When I wake up I can see the sunlight reflecting off the very small cracks in the blinds. I look at my clock; it reads eleven am. I sit up and stretch. It's about time I got ready to go to the café. Today I choose to wear my red jeans and zip up striped hoody; it's purple and pink. I know that gives some people the totally wrong vibes, but I don't care; I like lavender and pink, and I like them together, so they'll just have to deal with it.

Next I go into my mom's room and rummage around in her drawers, looking at all the make up. I stare at the products in one of the drawers, five of them blushes, two of them something called a bronzer, half of them eye shadows and a number of them... lip liners? I close that drawer and open the next one; all eye-liner and eye shadow. I slam that drawer shut, frustrated, and lean against the counter top.

".... I can't do this. I need... I need a girl friend that knows how to apply make up... no, I could ask mom... but then she'd be suspicious and won't buy the excuse that I just want to try... maybe I can say that Raphael suggested I try putting make up on," I lift my head and smile shyly to my reflection, "actually, that's not entirely a lie. He _did_ suggest that."

I walk out of my mom's room and into the living room, where I find a note waiting for me on the table. Mom will be working late tonight and staying at a nearby friend's apartment, since her shift doesn't end till three am and the trains won't be running. I sigh.

_'Gonna be out all night tonight then... I'll go to the park or something...'_ I really did hate being alone. If only dad were still around... he did his work from home, unless he had to go to a meeting. At least when dad was here I wasn't alone all the time.

I hated how his job had called him away at a time like this. I needed him, really. My mom was busy, she didn't have time to talk to me. Because dad worked from home I could talk to him whenever I wanted to. I'm close with my mom, but I'm closer to my dad...

_'I really wish you were home, dad. I'm so confused... I don't know what I should do, how I should dress... why did I start dressing like this, anyway?'_ I scoff at myself when I remember: to hide certain aspects of my body. I already thought I was unattractive with the huge apples on my chest, so I tried to make myself even more unattractive by cutting off my long blonde hair and wearing baggy clothes. I really was trying hard to look like a boy.

Unfortunately this got me unwanted attention from girls, who all thought I was a cute, sweet boy because I "understood them". Well, of course I understand my own gender! It irked me to no end.

_'I should grow my hair long again... and wear make up... and dress in frilly shirts and skirts like all the other girls do,'_ I grasp my face in my hands, standing in front of the door, _'just when did I start thinking about all this so much?! It's all his fault!'_

Even since that boy had kissed me and told me I was pretty, I'd started thinking about these things more often. I stormed out of the house, frustrated. For him to affect me in such a way was quite unnerving.

I made my way slowly to the café, watching people as they watched by. I noticed a group of girls looking at me and giggling, pointing and other things. One waved at me. I can't stand being cold-hearted to I waved back to her. This sent all of them into a giggling fit, and while they were all chatting amongst themselves I quickly fled around the corner.

As I drew nearer to the café my heart started beating more quickly. It had been like this since two weeks ago, when I had first seen the boy. I stopped walking and forced myself to calm down. He probably wasn't going to be there anyway.

"Ahoy there, little miss!" Raphael greeted, giving me a salute. I gave him a look and was about to speak when he placed a finger against his lips and pointed. I looked where he pointed. And stared.

That boy from two weeks ago was reclined in one of the chairs, arms folded behind his head and legs outstretched. I bet my cheeks got a little red seeing him so relaxed, like he was asleep. I looked back at Raphael.

"Is he asleep?" I asked in a whisper. He nodded his head and I smiled. Time for me to get my revenge.

I approach the boy and gaze at his relaxed face for a moment, before leaning down and pressing my lips to his. There was no way I could be as forward as him, but I do like him. I know I do, now, at least. Even if I didn't get it for the past two weeks, why I was hoping to see him so much.

I straighten quickly and dash to the seventh computer in the second line of computers. As I sit down I catch Raphael's shocked expression.

"Revenge," I say and turn on the computer. Raphael stifles a laugh.

"Ah, I don't know what happened between you two when I was in the back room."

"He's very forward, that's all I'll say."

"He _is_ quite forward. Won't find many guys like that, actually. You're pretty late today; he's been here for a while."

_'Eh?'_ what did he say?

"Wait, what? He's been here for a while?"

"Yeah, came in about an hour ago, asked me where you were," Raphael shrugged, "I was sure you'd be coming, so I told him to hang around for a bit."

I shook my head from side-to-side, _'he actually came looking for me.'_

I was just opening my email when the boy sneezed. I glanced up at him, then ducked down so he wouldn't see me. What was I getting so nervous for?

"Were you by any chance talking about me while I was asleep?"

I heard Raphael laugh, "only a little, but it wasn't anything bad. She's here, by the way."

"Oh?" I wanted to kill Raphael for saying that, "where?"

Raphael must have looked for me as well, because he chuckled shortly after that, "I think she's hiding. She's at the same computer she was at two weeks ago though."

I peeked through the gap between the monitor and the PC to see the boy walking past, eying where I was sitting. I inwardly panicked, _'ahh, crap, what do I do now?!'_

I focused on replying to Yukimura, a bit afraid to open the photos with the way he was complaining about them and how Akihime had forced him to send this one and that one. Two big arms appeared on either side of me. I could feel his weight against my back.

"That's not very nice," his chest vibrated a bit when he spoke. I looked up at him over my shoulder, pouting.

"Says the man that hasn't been around for the past two weeks," I complain. He leans over me, and I can feel my cheeks get hot.

"Aw, did you miss me?" he asks, his tone holding a bit of mocking but also some concern. Maybe he thought I had a lot of friends.

"Well, I don't have a large group of friends, and the people that I am friends with live in the states or Canada... most of them live in Canada..." I returned to replying to Yukimura's email, letting the information I'd just given the boy sink into him.

During the past few weeks Yukimura had already managed to get himself into a bit of a fight with his girlfriend. He hadn't understood why she was so angry at him, and because I was a girl he asked me for my advice on the matter. Of course as soon as he informed me in that email that he had called her an idiot I knew what the problem was, and quickly replied to him to apologize and tell her she was right and he was the idiot.

He hadn't wanted to at first, of course, but I assured him that she would be pleased with this. Silly manly pride. Even though us girls have difficulties about accepting the fact that we're wrong too. The two thankfully managed to resolve the issue with Akihime accepting that Yukimura was right and he apologizing for calling her an idiot.

_'I'm just glad they got that figured out... but Itsuki...'_ my fingers stalled on the keyboard; the boy was still standing behind me. I glanced over my shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" my eyes narrowed then, "are you reading this over my shoulder?"

"Huh? Aw, hell no, girl. I wouldn't do something like that. I'm communicating with Raphael."

"By not saying anything?"

"Non-verbal communication, silly," he informed me with a laugh, tapping me on the nose. I huffed and finished off my email to Yukimura. I then moved onto Itsuki, ready to fume.

She'd really disappointed me these past two weeks, but then again, people randomly interrupting her time with Masamune really wasn't all her fault. She still hadn't managed to confess to him; I know she has it in her though. I know she can do it. She just waits too long when the two of them are actually alone and when she tries to tell him someone else walks in and gets his attention.

As I'm scrolling down and reading her email I curse. Quite loudly. Loud enough to startle the boy behind me into moving back a bit.

"... that was a bit unexpected."

My cheeks are flushed red with embarrassment by now, "s-sorry it's just that this younger friend of mine is _really_ irking me."

"Oh? And why's that?" he probed, genuinely curious. I turn in my chair so I can look at him better.

"There's this guy she likes, he's a senior, I keep telling her she needs to tell him or he'll never know and then the next thing she'll know is that he's gone and she lost her chance and he'll be dating someone else."

"Let me guess. Every time she tries to tell him there's an interruption and he gets distracted."

I blink at him; he stares at me with a straight face.

"How did you know?"

He laughs, a nice deep laugh, "I guess you might be surprised at how often that happens. Just tell her to ask him to meet her somewhere she knows no one else but her will go to. Or something like that."

I think this thought over, gazing at the ceiling. He sits down in the chair next to me, staring at me staring at the ceiling. My fingers are back on the keyboard and my eyes on the screen.

"Good idea. I'll tell her that."

As I reply I wonder if I should tell him about the issue Itsuki is having with Ranmaru; I can tell by the way she tries to avoid mentioning him that the problem still hasn't been resolved. And that Masamune isn't really helping the situation.

_'Guess that's what happens when you have two guys vying for your attention... except Ranmaru wants her attention in a romantic way and Masamune wants it in a friendship way. Gods, I hope she doesn't get her heart broken.'_

I click send and watch gmail load; damn thing is so fast. I stare at the screen, nervous all of the sudden. I look up to see if Raphael is behind the counter. He isn't.

_'No wonder it feels so strange... without Raphael there when this boy is here, the air gets heavier...'_ I feel a single bead of sweat trickle down my forehead, on the left side. The boy is sitting on my right. I look at him. He's giving me a very suspicious look.

"So while I was asleep I felt this tickling sensation on my forehead."

_'Oh. Shit.'_

"Oh really?" I try to keep my voice even and keep eye contact with him.

"Yeah, really. Know anything about that? My forehead doesn't get ticklish all on its own."

"Maybe it was itchy," I inform him, looking back at my screen, hoping for something to happen, like a magical reply from Yukimura even though it's two am where he lives and he's definitely in a dead sleep.

"If it was itchy I would have woken up right away. The feeling left so I didn't get up," he leans forward on his knees, staring very steadily at me, "and there was a softer feeling too. On my lips. Know anything about _that_?"

"N-no, I don't," I mentally slap myself numerous times for stuttering, "did you ask Raphael? Maybe he knows."

"Oh, I know he knows, but he isn't telling."

"I see... um..." by now I'm desperately searching for something that I can do. I feel a warm hand on my face then and the boy turns my head. He touches his forehead to mine, and now I'm really panicking; of course my bangs would have made his forehead tingle!

"Hm..." he touches his lips to mine softly, like I had done to him, and pulls back, "hm..."

He leans back in his chair, smirking, while I glare at him with hot cheeks.

"I knew it was you."

"Sh-shut up!" I tell him, crossing my arms and turning back to face the screen. We sit in a semi-comfortable silence until he asks me another question.

"What are you doing today?"

My heart stops. A good question. What _was_ I going to do today, considering the fact that mom wasn't going to be home at all until tomorrow evening?

"I... I'm going to go to the park, I guess."

"You guess?" nothing really gets by this boy at all. He doesn't have to be so worried about me, I _can_ take care of myself, after all.

"Yeah, I guess. My mom isn't going to be home until tomorrow evening, and I don't like being home alone, so I go to the park and just... wander around all night."

"... you know, what's the difference between being home alone for a day and being alone in the park all day?"

"In the park I'm not really alone, alone; there's other people around."

"But you're still _alone_," he insists, giving me a hard look. I sigh, fingering the bottom of my hoody.

"You hardly even know me, so why do you care so much?"

He's quiet at that comment. Suddenly, he stands.

"Hey, come hang out with me for a bit."

"Eh? R-really?" I ask, startled. I really wasn't expecting that. He gives me another hard look.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"N-no, I just... I just wasn't expecting that."

"And why not?"

"I don't even know your name!" I exclaim. A mysterious smile appears on his lips and I grow frustrated with him; the least he could do is tell me his name!

"Guess I shouldn't be too surprised that you don't remember me."

I push back in my chair reflexively, giving him a straight face. Now he's really got me thinking about who he could be. Does that mean that he knows who I am and I have no idea who he is? That's really not fair!

"And why would I not remember you?" I ask tentatively, slowly standing. I only come up to his collarbone, so I still have to look up at him to see his face. He keeps his mysterious smile.

"We were never in the same class. You knew who I was, but we never really interacted at all."

"That's a bit unnerving you know. And irritating. Because I knew _everyone_ back in high school," I'm pouting; now I _really_ want to know who he is. He fingers one very short blonde strand of hair. I decided that I only wanted to grow out the strands that were already appearing in front of my ears. I would keep the rest of my hair short.

"You did, but you never knew me."

"Why?!" I'm whining now and he's walking out of the café and I'm following, "why did I never know you? Did you hide from me or something?"

"... I did, actually," he says sheepishly, "that's why I'm not really surprised you don't remember me. I made sure you never knew me. That and," he grabbed my arm and pulled me around a group of people that I didn't notice because I was staring at him, "I looked really different back in high school."

"How different?" I demand, determined now to remember who he is.

"For one, I never had this scar here," he said, tapping his left cheek. We stop at the street, since the walk light is red. Cars of all shapes and sizes and colors whiz by.

"And I never styled my hair like this. It was a floppy mess of brown. Like a mop. And it was usually in front of my eyes."

"You were one of the shy ones, weren't you?" I cross my arms as the walk light changes to green and we start across the street, "surely we had at least _one_ class together."

"Does lunch qualify as a class? Seriously, we didn't have any classes together. I was a grade ahead of you, after all," he informs me with a laugh. I have no idea where he's taking me; we're probably going to the park though, by a different route.

"I don't care if you were a grade ahead of me! I still would have known who you are! I was the social butterfly; I knew everyone and everyone knew me."

"That's true. I knew who you were," he laughs when I slap him on the arm. He's really beginning to frustrate me.

"Oh come _on_! Just tell me who you are!" we turn a corner and come to the park, like I had suspected. He gives me a look, a light smirk on his lips. He sits down on the first bench we come to and drapes his arms across the top, crossing his legs at the ankle. I sit down next to him, glaring.

"I'm sure you can figure it out, she who knows all."

I slap him on the chest and turn away from him, so my back is to him.

"Hmph! You said I wouldn't remember you."

"But I never said you wouldn't remember my name."

"Well, you should at least give me a hint to what your name is then!" I exclaim, pouting at him over my shoulder. He looks like he's going to start laughing and I turn my head back around to stare at the sky.

"What did you usually do when you saw me?"

"Hide."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious. I hid when I saw you. You have no idea how beautiful you were, do you?"

The phrase "how beautiful you were" gets me, especially the "were". I used to be beautiful, and I'm just pretty now.

"I guess I degraded myself. Since I'm only pretty now."

I look over my shoulder at him to see him frowning.

"Not just your looks; your personality too. You were so flamboyant, so sure of yourself," he moves closer so his lips are near my ear, "what happened to you?"

"To be honest," I turn my head to the left, towards his face, "I don't know. After everyone left for university, and I didn't, everything changed. I guess it's because in high school I was surrounded by people who wanted to be like me, look like me, walk like me, be my friend... but then in grade twelve, when everyone asked me where I was going for university..." I shake my head a little, trying not to let myself cry, "maybe that's when everything started changing. When I was in grade twelve. When I told everyone that I probably wasn't going to go to university. Even though I had the grades."

"You had everything going for you, huh? It's deeper then that."

I lick my lips, _'I know how I can make you tell me your name,'_ a small smile is on my lips now, the urge to cry passing by as quickly as it had come.

"Oh? Yeah, I guess it is. Perhaps I'd be more obliged to tell you if you told me your name,_ acquaintance,_" I refer to him by that last word just to annoy him. I hear him snort, and then repeat, "acquaintance?"

I nod my head, "yup! So I'm not going to talk to you anymore unless you tell me your name."

I feel his breath on the shell of my ear and I can't help shuddering.

"Katakura," he mutters, the tip of his nose touching the top of my ear.

_'Katakura... Kata... kura... EH?!'_ I'm frozen for the moment. I turn my head rather quickly, pressing my forehead against his.

"Kojyuro?"

He smiles, "that's right, Kasuga."

* * *

Surprised?


	3. Chapter 3

Second last chapter from Kasuga's point of view. Will be two extra chapters, one for Itsuki and one for Yukimura.

Last chapter will probably be reeeeeeeeeeally long. Or something. Longer then this, at least :)

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Friend.**

I stared at him in disbelief. This boy sitting next to me, a soft smile on his lips, slicked back hair, broad shoulders and muscular build... this was Katakura Kojyuro? The shyest boy in the 2007 graduating class? The kid with the floppy hair that always hid whenever I showed my face?

"... no. No way. No freaking way..."

"Yes way."

"The _shy_ Katakura Kojyuro?"

"With the mop for hair," he added, grinning now. I continue to stare at him in disbelief.

"Wow you... you really changed..."

His eyes narrow and he leans against the bench, his gaze intense, "so did you."

I look away from him, "but I changed in a bad way."

"I didn't say it was bad," I can't think of anything to say back to him. I just continue to stare out towards the street.

"Kasuga."

"Hn?"

"What happened?"

I force myself to look at him, "like I said, when I mentioned I wasn't going to go to university, everyone started drifting away from me. Like I was wasting my ability. Or something like that. My talents. But I just don't think I'm suited for university and I don't know what to study so -"

"Then don't force yourself," he cut me off. I stare at him in surprise; he has a gentle smile on his lips.

"You can't live your life to please others, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah I know but --"

"Do your parents mind?"

"No they don't mind that I'm not going but..." I don't know what to say to him at this point. Silence comes between us while I continue my inner struggle. Even though I'm already twenty-one I still haven't gone to university. He was only one year ahead of me so I knew he was twenty-two. But for me to be twenty-one and still not in university it... bothered me.

"It just bugs me," I finally admit, looking down at my feet. Kojyuro shifts next to me.

"What bugs you?"

"Not going to university. It bugs me, because I have nothing to tell my friends who are in university. I can't relate to them..."

"... am I a friend yet?"

I glare at him, "you. _You_ are still an acquaintance."

"You, are mean."

"Oh shut up!"

"Ah-hah! I made you smile," he chuckles triumphantly, standing. I look up at him, eyes narrowed but once again find myself unable to say something back to him. He sticks his tongue out at me; such a childish action.

"You _bastard!_" and with that shout I chase him out of the park. I chase him to a skate park, yelling all sorts of obscenities at him and getting hordes of attention. Finally, I run him into a dead end. He turns around, his back against the wall, and raises his hands in surrender. He's grinning madly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"No you're not," I hiss, trying to keep a smile from coming to my lips. He sighs and lowers his arms, opting to shove them in his jean pockets instead.

"What are you so upset about anyway? Me calling you mean or the fact that I keep on leaving you without anything to say?"

"... right now I'm gonna' say the fact that I don't have anything to say back to you."

He smirked, cocking his head to the right. There was a chain link fence in that direction; he was watching the young teens who were doing fancy tricks on their skateboards. I gazed at his scar, wondering how he got it.

"How did you get that? That scar, I mean."

"Hm? Oh, this?" he tapped it and I nodded my head, crossing my arms over my chest. He thought for a moment, while I assumed he got it from a fight.

"It was a party at university. Some guys got into a fight and dragged everyone around them into it. First year, by the way. My cheek got cut by a piece of glass some idiot was swinging around," he shrugged, like it was no big deal. I quirked my eyebrow at him.

"And you just left it at that? Come on, you may have been shy in high school but you're a big guy. I don't recall anyone ever having the guts to mess with you."

The short laugh he releases sounds embarrassed, _'oh I see. He doesn't want to tell me what happened after that.'_

"Tell me, tell me," I insist, taking a few steps closer to him. He pouts at me. I pout back at him, stepping closer and planting my hands on the wall on either side of his arms. I stare up at him.

"Tell meee."

"I – you – I think that you might be expecting something that didn't happen."

"Just tell me and dispel the suspicion then!"

"Fine, fine. I rammed the guy with my shoulder and knocked five of them down. Then I left."

We stare at each other. I admit, I'm a little disappointed. I'd been thinking that he'd joined in the fray; at least he has self control.

"Well, that dispelled my suspicion all right. But wow, you knocked five of them over from hitting one guy?"

"They were all drunk out of their minds, so of course I did."

"But if you knew you got sliced by a piece of glass why didn't you go for stitches?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. He sighs.

"I didn't think it was that deep, so I just let it heal. Next thing I knew I had people everywhere asking me how I got my scar," he gives me a grin then, "and how strange this is; you're cornering me."

I have this urge to move away quickly, as if he's a hot stove, but I stay where I am, "I was like this in high school, you know. I cornered guys a lot."

"Yeah, but that was high school," he shifts and I pull away. I glare at him when he starts chuckling.

"Stop laughing."

"I'm not laughing."

"You're chuckling!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop," but he continues chuckling, his lips turned up in a smile even though he's trying to control himself. I pound my palm on his chest several times. This only serves to make it more difficult for him not to laugh.

"Stop laughing!"

"Stop hitting me!" and he grabs my wrist, grinning at me. I pout at him and attempt to hit him with my other hand. He grabs that hand too and we stare at each other. I'm in quite a bad position now, with him holding onto both of my wrists. I look down.

"Let go."

"Why?"

"Because I asked you to," my voice came out a lot more timid then I thought it would. Instead of releasing me he raises my hands and sets them on his broad shoulders, and then he wraps his big arms around my shoulders and upper back. I'm pulled gently into his chest and I can't help closing my eyes. Kojyuro is built for hugging, just as I had thought when I'd first met him.

His left arm slides down to my lower back and he holds me more securely to him; my arms coil around his neck.

"Still want me to let you go?" his voice is soft, though he's teasing me. I press my face into his neck and shake my head.

"Sh-shut up..."

He turns us around and presses me against the wall, then pushes away.

"Stop laughing. Shut up. Let go. Anything else you need to tell me?" he's grinning by now. I pout at him.

"Stop pouting," he tells me, grabbing my lower lip gently between his fingers and giving it a little shake. I swat his hand down and whine at him, _'at least whining will keep me from telling him to stop it.'_

"It's tempting."

I stare at him, "tempting?"

"Yeah, tempting. Makes me want to kiss you," he nuzzles my nose with his. I punch him in the chest playfully and he backs off, glancing to the left. I look as well.

There's a group of teens just staring at us. Two of them were arguing, the girl gesturing at me. Clearly she's angry at the guy – whom she's arguing with – about something; he raises his hands in surrender. She doesn't look convinced that he believes her.

"... they probably think I'm a boy," I mutter. Kojyuro looks at me in genuine shock.

"You... really don't look it, you know that?"

"Hey!" the girl that was arguing with the boy calls out to us. I glance at her, but otherwise keep my head down.

_'They totally think I'm a boy.'_

"That blonde. A chick, right?"

I stare at her in shock; Kojyuro has a twitch of a smile.

"'Course she is," he's all confident. I watch as the guy standing next to the girl frowns. An arm wraps around me from behind, making the girl's mouth drop open in an "o" shape and making the guys get a bit more color in their cheeks.

"Ahh – ahh!" Kojyuro's arm is right underneath my breasts, which makes them quite noticeable.

"See?"

The girl starts attacking the guy she was arguing with violently with her fists while screaming that she was right and he was an idiot. He quickly agrees with her, trying to stave off her attacks.

"Looks like you were wrong. She knew you were a girl," Kojyuro breathes into my ear. I struggle against his hold, cheeks red.

"L-let go! Don't show them off like that!"

"Show them off? Ooh, are you _embarrassed_ by them or something?" he wraps his other arm around me and easily lifts me off the ground.

"W-wait K-Kojyuro! Stop it!" I screech, scared out of my wits. He starts laughing, _'I can't believe he's enjoying this!'_

"I'm here strictly for support and nothing more!" he announces. While thinking of support I remember what bras are for and... also the fact that I'm not wearing one.

"... _Kojyuro, seriously, put me down!"_

"Okay, okay..." he sets my feet back on the ground but doesn't release me. He's strangely tense; it has me worried.

"Um, Kojyuro...?"

"... what do you want?" he asks. The question isn't directed at me I'm sure; he wouldn't speak to me in such a hostile voice.

"I got business with the blonde punk."

_'That... voice... not that guy from... six days ago...?'_ but my fears prove true and it's that guy I accidentally knocked over six days ago. I hadn't meant to – I was too busy trying to get away from a group of girls that had _again_ mistaken me as a boy. I'd pushed him rather forcefully out of the way; when I'd looked back I'd actually managed to push him over.

I can't say anything as I stare at him; there's a few other guys with him too, and some girls. He looks really pissed off. Not only that, but he's looking at Kojyuro funny, with that look that clearly asks 'are you gay or what?'

There's no time to react when the guy grabs my bicep in a vice-grip and jerks me out of Kojyuro's hold. Kojyuro is motionless with surprise; I hear a girl gasp.

"H-hey, she's not a boy! She's a girl!"

"Like hell I'll believe that crap," he spits back at her, then turns his attention to me, "you think you can just get away with knocking someone over?"

"Th-that happened six days ago any normal person would forget about it -" his fist slams into my cheek before I can finish my sentence. I thought that the pain in my bicep was a lot; it's nothing compared to the pain in my cheek. I can already feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

_'I am definitely growing out my hair.'_

It's then that I feel a rush of wind. Next I hear a cracking sound, like something's breaking and then the guy is on the ground, a hand over his nose. Blood is slipping out between his fingers. I'm stunned; Kojyuro straightens from his slight crouch. I hadn't realized he was left-handed. He coils his arm around me protectively.

"You're lucky that a broken nose is the only thing you're getting," I don't like the malicious tone in his voice. It's like he's turned into someone else. I glance over my shoulder. He has a furious expression plastered over his face.

The guy is staring at Kojyuro in fear as he tows me away from the scene. I let him tow me, willing myself not to cry. The pain in my cheek is subsiding anyway, so it can't be too bad.

_'I really should grow out my hair. And put on make-up. And wear a frilly skirt and tight shirt and stop hiding the fact that I'm – where are we?'_

He pulls me inside an apartment and let's me go to close and lock the door. Then I'm being pushed down the hall and into a room. He sits me on the bed.

"Wait here," and then he leaves the room. I blink at the doorway several times; he hasn't bothered to turn any lights on.

Despite the lack of lighting in the room, I can see that it's mostly empty - _'must be the guest room' -_ and there's only a few books on the bookshelf. Kojyuro passes by the room as he walks down the hall. I want to follow him and find out what he's doing but he told me to wait and after what just happened... I really don't want to unintentionally make him angry.

He walks into the room again, a box in his hands and no shirt on. My eyes get wide.

_'He... that box... oh! Silly me...'_ I feel like an idiot for thinking he's going to do something to me when all he does is sit next to me on the bed and open the first aid kit. He pulls out a few things, one of them being a large square band-aid. I pout at it and he swipes his pointer finger down on my lip, gently, to make it stick out even more.

"Stop pouting," he complains, dabbing at my cheek with one of those alcohol pads. It stings; he then proceeds to put the band-aid on.

"I thought I told you it was tempting..." he then pushes up the sleeve of my hoody and looks at my arm. I playfully turn away from him.

"You treat me like an antique doll. I'm sorry to inform you that I'm not made of porcelain nor am I as beautiful as one."

At least it makes him laugh a little. I smile, _'of course I'm not as beautiful as one of those French dolls...'_

I listen as he closes the kit and sets it on the floor. Then his large hands are on my shoulders.

"'Of course you're not as beautiful as one' – that's what you want me to say, right?" he turns me towards him. I stare into his deep green eyes.

"I think, you're more beautiful then one. They're just dolls, after all," he leans closer, "can't beat the real thing."

I furrow my brows, a blush spreading over my cheeks. My lips purse into a pout; he kisses me. At first it's gentle but slowly the kiss gets more forceful. He leans over me, pushing me back onto the bed. One of his large hands slips under my hoody and over my stomach; I gasp lightly, and press my fingers into his shoulders. When our tongues meet his taste overpowers my senses.

He pulls back, want evident in his emerald eyes. I stare at him.

"How can you like someone like me? I look like such a boy!" I inform him, looking away. I hear the sounds of a zipper being pulled down.

_'... wait a second...'_

"You... look like a girl to me," he mutters. I can feel his breath on my skin. Quickly I turn my head to look at him. He's staring down at my chest, which I also look at. Bare skin is what I see.

He straightens quite suddenly, hand over his mouth, his eyes focused on the ceiling. I hug myself and roll onto my side, blushing madly.

_'I should have told him I wasn't wearing anything under this! Craap...'_

"I didn't know you weren't wearing anything," he says in a timid voice, like he's scared I'm going to blow up at him or something. I glance over my shoulder at him.

"W-well it's not like I t-told you, s-so really you aren't at fault... um..." I release an uneven breath and roll onto my back again, so I can see him better.

"I don't care if you look," and I really don't. I feel safe with him. The eye that I can see gets very wide and he turns his head away; I sit up.

"Please tell me you aren't wearing boxers."

I flush at this comment and stand, "I'm wearing _panties!_"

"Y-you don't need to tell me _that_!" he exclaims, eyes flicking in my direction before diverting to the ceiling again. I stalk a ways away and turn to face him, my hands on the top of my jeans.

"If you don't believe me I'll show you!" I tell him stubbornly. His eyes go very wide and he faces me, shaking his hands.

"N-n-n-n-no I believe you! Really I do!" his cheeks are darker then usual, so I know I've made him blush.

_'Hah! That's what he gets for picking me up like that earlier! Um... when did he cross his legs? And why did he...'_ I look up at his face to see that he has a very embarrassed expression on. I glance back down at his legs. His reason for crossing them presents itself in my mind very quickly.

"Oh..." I utter softly. He slowly turns his head to the side and scratches the back of his neck. I stand and he sits; the silence is extremely awkward. My heart is finally beginning to calm down in my chest. The silence lasts for at least ten minutes more, him refusing to look at me. I look at the scenery outside the window; it's nothing much, just a cluster of apartment buildings. There are a few flats that have the lights on still and as I watch two lights are turned off.

Kojyuro stands and walks towards me. His big hands grasp the zipper of my hoody and he pulls it back up as he talks.

"You can sleep in here. I'll be in my room if you need me. It's just down the hall, at the end. And the bathroom is right across from this room so uh... I'll see you in the morning, I guess."

He maneuvers around me to leave but I panic at the thought of being alone. For me to be alone in a place I don't recognize is the worst thing for me. I grab his arm before he can leave.

"A-actually Kojyuro, I... I'd rather if you stayed with me..." I bite my lip, _'this is so stupid. I'm twenty-one and I __still can't manage to sleep in a place I don't know...'_

"I hope you don't mind me asking why? I mean," he rests his hands on my biceps, "if you want me to I will."

"Really, you know, I don't like being alone," I lean against his chest, "I really don't..."

He rests a hand on my head, "can't say I know the feeling since I've always been so solitary, but I'll stay in here with you if that's what you want."

"I would like that."

He wraps his arm around me, hugging me. I like how he hugs. He makes me feel so small and fragile in his embrace.

He steps around me and walks towards the bed, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him. The covers are flipped back and then he's lying down. I lie down next to him; we're facing each other. He pulls the blankets up a bit. I inch closer to him to I can rest my forehead against his shoulder.

I'm just beginning to fall asleep when he calls my name softly.

"Kasuga?"

"Yes?"

"Do I qualify as a friend now?"

I smile and snuggled even closer to him – he drapes an arm over me in response.

"You do."

* * *

I think my favorite seen is the skate park one :P and of course, the awkward bedroom moment haha!


	4. Chapter 4

Whelp, this is it for Kasuga's side of the story! Over the summer, while working on my huge-ass project(s), I'll work on the two omakes for this, one centering around Itsuki, and the other centering around Yukimura.

Hope you enjoyed reading this like I enjoyed writing it ^^

**

* * *

Chapter 4: Lover.**

When I wake up the next day it's because the sun is pouring light and warmth over me. I sit up.

_'Wait, that was too easy. Where's Kojyuro?'_ I look around and see him no where. Quickly I get off the bed and walk out of the room. Once in the hallway I look left and right. There's some noise coming from the direction of the living room, so I decide to go into the bathroom. After I'm done my business, I wash my hands and open the door.

"... OH MY GAWD!" Kojyuro starts laughing and stumbles back into the guest room, while I grasp at my chest with my hand, breathing heavily. He has the most horrid thing on his face, a red mask with a huge gaping mouth, angry angled eyes and horns sticking out of it.

"That wasn't funny! Oh my gawd, that is a _creepy_ mask!" I slap him on the chest and storm into the living room. Who knows where he got that mask from. I sit down on the couch and shiver.

"That really scared me you know!" I call to him, pouting. I hear him snicker before a door closes lightly. My stomach grumbles at me. I sigh.

_'Man, I should eat something... ah! W-what time is it?'_ my eyes frantically search for the clock. I definitely have to beat my mother home and though I'm sure that it's not too late in the afternoon -

_'Oh thank goodness. It's only ten... wow. It's only ten? What am I gonna' do with myself for the seven hours?'_ I hear a door open and I look at the opening to the hallway.

I resist the urge to scream as these long, gnarled black fingers with sharp black nails on them appear on the edge of the wall.

"_You think you're funny don't you!"_ I scream, jumping off the couch and chasing Kojyuro down the hall and into his room. He's laughing the entire time.

"I just find it amusing how easily frightened you are!" he explains, turning around. I halt in the middle of his room, pouting up at him.

"How many times were you told yesterday not to pout?" he asks, planting a hand on his hip. I cross my arms over my chest and blow a breath at my bangs.

"Many times. And yes, I'm easy to scare. I've _always_ been easy to scare. And where did you get all that anyway?"

"Oh, the mask and the hand?" he shrugs, "some friends and I were messing around at Halloween. They ran around chasing little kids and girls while I just sat on a bench and looked really threatening while attempting to drink some water. Through the mask," he holds it up and shows it to me. I squint at it in distaste, wrinkling my nose. He looks at it himself.

"Except, the whole face of this is plastic. So I just ended up being the comedic Grim Reaper that couldn't even walk right. I kept falling down on my face... on purpose, of course," he grins at me and tosses the mask back onto the bed behind him, along with the fake hand.

"I watched the news this morning, says there's a chance for rain," he takes a step towards me. I step back.

"Oh really? Wait, what time did you get up?"

"I got up at nine. I always tend to get up at that time and catch the weather," he keeps advancing on me.

_'I guess he's more aggressive in the morning then at night,'_ I quickly turn away from him and walk into the hallway. He follows me.

"I'm hungry," I tell him, glancing over my shoulder. He looks like he's trying not to laugh, with his lips sucked in as if he were a fish.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," he assures me, though he snorts right after that. I turn on him and jab him in the chest.

"Why are you being so _weird_?"

"Weird? Oh... well, you aren't used to me in the morning are you?" he leans towards me, smiling cheekily. I blow a breath into his face and march into his kitchen.

"No, I'm not used to you in the morning. I could swear you're more aggressive," while saying this I'm investigating his cabinets. He's has a lot of peanut butter. I feel his presence at my back and the next thing I know he's resting his chin on my head.

"H-hey!"

"I love how you fit perfectly under my chin," he mutters, wrapping his arms around my waist. I can't help blushing at the comment.

"H-how come you have so much peanut butter?" I manage to ask. He takes a deep breath.

"I like it. With apples."

"With apples?" I struggle to turn around in his arms. He immediately picks me up and sets me on the counter. I glare at him, cheeks red. Before I can speak he does.

"Yes, I like it with apples. All kinds of apples," he proceeds to nuzzle his nose against my chest. I press my hands against his shoulders; my ears are warm now.

"Y-you're s-so weird in the morning! Cut it out! Back off!" my attempts to push him away are futile. He laughs quietly – it's a gentle sound – and then kisses my throat and backs off, lifting me up and setting me back on the floor. I resist the urge to pout up at him.

"Well, tell me, Kasuga. What do you want for breakfast?" he asks, closing the cupboard where all the peanut butter is. I poke him in the back.

"Anything. Anything but peanut butter," I tell him and he laughs loudly, leaning against the counter for support. I poke him in the back again.

"Stop poking me."

"We have a habit of telling one another to stop doing something," I comment, walking out of the kitchen. Twenty minutes later and Kojyuro has cooked up some pancakes – and I have no idea how he did that so fast. We eat them in silence.

"So... what are your plans for today?" I ask, drawing in the syrup left behind on my plate with the knife in my hand. Kojyuro is silent for a while.

"Well, I don't have much planned for today. I've got a class later – it's in the evening though," he informs me. I look up at him. There's a smidgen of syrup on his right cheek; he hasn't noticed it yet. I get up from my chair, setting the knife casually on the plate.

"I see."

"How about you?" he watches me as I walk over to him. I observe his face as I think. I never have any plans except for going to the Internet café to check my email. I lean down so I'm level with his eyes; he's still sitting in his chair after all.

"My plans are always to go to the Internet café at around twelve. I don't have anything else planned. Oh, and," I lick off his cheek, savoring the sweet taste of the syrup, "you had some syrup on your cheek."

He blinks at me, the tip of his ear turning red ever so slightly. I giggle behind my hand and walk away from him to pick up my plate.

"Y-you really don't do much, do you?" he comments, looking away from me and scratching the back of his neck. I quirk an eyebrow at him and pick up his plate too. He stares after me as a swagger into the kitchen.

"No, I don't do much. And I'll wash these."

"Ah, you don't have too..."

"What, you'd rather let them sit around and get all dry and then be impossible to wash off?" I call to him, only to look at the kitchen doorway and see him leaning in it, staring at me. The dishes don't take me very long to wash. Once I'm done I press my hands to the counter and lean against them. I'm nervous under his stare.

_'Probably because he's already seen my uh... assets. And how big they are,'_ I glance at him, _'well, no time to be nervous. I'm eager to know how Itsuki's doing with the whole Masamune-Ranmaru thing. I hope she gets it sorted out... specially her feelings,'_ I push away from the counter and walk towards the doorway. I stop in front of Kojyuro; he shows no sign of moving.

"Are you going to move or do I have to force my way past you?"

He doesn't reply, though his stare intensifies. I lean away from him.

"W-what?"

He looks like he's struggling to find words to say. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Well if you don't have anything to say-"

"I... like you," he says suddenly, his voice low. I stare at him and he braces his arms in the doorway and leans down to my height.

"I _really_ like you."

I didn't know how to respond to this. I step back slightly, staring at him in shock. We haven't seen each other for... for _years!_ I press my hands to my cheeks; they're very warm against my cool hands.

"I-it's been a while since we – we last met. I – I mean it's n-not like you really ever got to know m-me s-so," I can't believe I'm trying to reason with him about _his_ feelings, "you don't know w-what I'm really -"

"You're right, I never got to know you. Back in _high school_," he sets his hands on my shoulders, "the Kasuga in front of me is the one I met, and I like what I see," he gathers me up against his chest in a hug, "isn't that enough? I like you, so I want to get to know _this_ Kasuga more. I'm not asking for too much, am I?"

I let him wrap his arms around me, my heart pounding violently in my chest – pounding so hard it _hurts_. I feel like crying.

_'I've never felt like crying when a guy confessed to me before. Why do I feel like crying now? Is it because... I like him too?'_

"Your hearts pounding," I can hear the smile on his voice when he tells me that. I close my eyes tightly.

"How would you know!"

"I can feel it," he explains, fanning his hand over my upper back. He really does have large hands. Suddenly the side of my face is being pressed to his chest.

"Here, listen. Listen carefully. You make my heart pound too, you know?" his voice is quiet now, like he's admitting to his deepest, darkest secret. I listen very carefully and sure enough, I can faintly hear his heart beating. It _is_ beating quite rapidly.

It's been a week since Kojyuro confessed his feelings to me. Since then I've confessed mine too – I realized after he walked me home the day he confessed that I really did like him.

I asked my mom about going shopping for a new wardrobe and she happily used one of her sick days from school to spend the whole day with me. The first thing we had to go shopping for was bras. I hated that part the most, but thankfully the girl that helped us was... well, helpful. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when I told her my bust size though. Quite rare for us Japanese to have double D's, after all.

Unfortunately for me they only had lace lingerie in my size, so for the time being, I'm stuck with lace.

I think we spent over ten thousand on clothes – and that was my mother's fault. We almost couldn't carry all our bags and it was hell getting back home with all those bags. But we managed.

I said good bye to all my baggy clothes just the other day, and right now I'm trying my hand at putting on make up myself. Kojyuro had a class today but he wants to take me out for dinner. I miss being a social butterfly so I asked him if I could meet some of his friends.

I smile to myself, gazing at my reflection in the mirror. My strands are now longer, just a little bit past my shoulders.

_'I bet he'll be shocked. He doesn't know about the shopping spree yet... or that I gave all my old clothes to charity... or that I got my mom to teach me how to put make up on,'_ I blush at the last thought, _'she bought the excuse that Raphael suggested I try. I just can't bring myself to tell her that I'll probably have a man in my life soon.'_

I do a once over on my outfit: white shorts that barely reach the middle of my thighs, black platforms, a red spaghetti strap with brown stripes on it. It's tight, which makes me just a little self-conscious but I'll get used to it. I look more closely at my reflection to see that the tops of my black lace bra are showing.

_'Thank goodness it looks like part of my shirt,'_ I decide. I have this pretty little belt that is meant to be used as decoration when wearing long shirts and leggings on. I put it through the loops of my shorts so that it stays on better.

My look is complete, so I decide to head out. A quick look at the clock before I leave the house let's me know that I'll be on time to meet up with Kojyuro and his friends. I can't wait to see his face when he sees me.

On my walk to the university I have guys left and right checking me out. It brings back high school memories, when I would walk down the hall and everyone would look. More then one girl stare in envy – I'm hoping that they aren't wishing they had my bust size. Double D's are... not that fun to have. I mean they like to bounce. A lot, and despite what some people may think, it's kinda' painful. Thank goodness I got bras for support. I don't really need Kojyuro to support them.

_'Though I'm sure he'd love to,'_ I giggle to myself at the thought. I round the corner and see the Internet café I always go to just begging me to go inside, and so I do. Raphael looks up from behind the counter and his eyes widen a great deal.

"W-wow! Kasuga, is that you?" he exclaims as I walk over to my usual computer. I smile up at him.

"Yeah it's me, silly. I – I know, new look and- hey! Don't call Kojyuro!"

Raphael sets the phone down and protests, "but, but-!"

"I'm going to see him in a minute so I won't be here long. I just want to see if Itsuki's emailed me yet..."

"Oh... I remember that she didn't email you back last week."

"She didn't, so I'm kind of worried," I admit, quickly logging on to my gmail. There _is_ an email from her, but it's very short when I open it and simply reads: _'Sorry I didn't reply to your email last week, but it's still complicated. I honestly cannot get Masamune alone and I'm too shy to confess with others around. Since it's getting closer to graduation the seniors are doing a lot these days and we hardly have time to talk. I'll try to get back to you on this but... don't worry, okay?_'

I frown and sigh. I don't have time to read Yukimura's, so I log off and quickly leave. Raphael gives me a look.

"Why so eager? Oh! Are you guys a couple yet?"

"H-hey! N-no, it's like, well, he's been telling you things hasn't he!" I demand. In response Raphael laughs and waves his hand at me.

"I don't want you to be late, you pretty little thing you. Shoo, shoo, his university isn't too far from here."

"I know, I know..." I walk out of the Internet café and head down the side walk. It will take me ten minutes to get to where Kojyuro is meeting me. I begin to feel more nervous as I draw closer to the school. The stares that people are giving me are finally beginning to have an effect.

_'I should have brought a jacket...'_ I clasp my hands over my chest, _'this is so stupid. I thought I was trying to change myself, not... get all shy again!'_

I turn right around the corner and there's the stairway to the school. And just like he said, Kojyuro's waiting on the stairs, chatting with a bunch of his friends. I'm guessing that two out of three of the guys present have girlfriends', since there's two girls with them too.

_'Gotta' pull myself together. He might not recognize me. I do look quite different from my usual self.'_

I let my hands drop to my side and take a deep breath, _'here goes.'_

"_Kojyuro!_" I call, walking towards the friends, waving. He nods at the brunette man with swept up hair and looks in my direction. He stares while I flounce up the stairs to stand in front of him. He doesn't hide the way he looks me up and down, but that's more out of shock then checking me out.

The silver-haired man with the wine-purple eye patch is clearly checking me out, and the girl next to him rises up on her tip-toes and smacks him on the head.

"Ah! Gomen, Tsuru-chan... just... she's pretty hot," he comments in a gruff voice. I look at the brunette and notice that he has a stunning red-head next to him; he's just staring at her.

"Mag, I'm just gonna' stare at you for the next three hours because I know you will beat me senseless if I so much as peek at her."

The red-head smiles and pats him on the cheek, "knowing you, you won't be able to keep it up," to Kojyuro, she says, "hey, Mr. Awe-struck; are you going to introduce us or not?"

I gaze at Kojyuro as he blushes and looks between me and his friends, "ah, well, er – this – this is -" he glances at me nervously, and then asks in the cutest voice I've ever heard from him, "you _are_ Kasuga, right?"

"The one and only."

"But you look so _girly_," it almost sounds like he's complaining. I pout at him and cup my hands under my breasts.

"You already saw them, and you _still_ can't believe it's me?"

"Th-that – that's – that was a-a-a-an accident y-you, and th-that er, _those_, well, um, I didn't -" he stutters, his face acquiring a flustered expression as it slowly turns redder. I giggle uncontrollably while his friends simply stare at him in surprise. My comment about his already seeing my breasts catches the other silver-head's attention.

He is stunningly attractive, with a slim face, sharp eyes and emo-styled hair. How he manages to keep it all converged in the middle of his face will remain a mystery to me – for now. He blinks his pale green eyes at me, then returns to his constant staring at the university building, like he's waiting for someone.

Kojyuro jerks me towards him in an agitated way, holding me against his chest, "yeah. This is Kasuga. Kasuga, here we've got Ieyasu and Magoichi," he gestures towards the brunette and the red-head. Ieyasu gives me a nod and Magoichi gives a small wave. I smile at them.

"Next we've got Motochika and Tsuruhime," the man with the eye patch gives a salute, and Tsuruhime purses her lips at me. Kojyuro nods his head towards the other silver haired man.

"And that's Mitsunari. I call him Ishida, though, that's his last name. Now that you're here we're just waiting for Ichi."

"Ichi?" I ask, gazing at Mitsunari. He turns his head slightly to look at me.

"Yeah, Ishida's girlfriend," Ieyasu pipes in, then laughs lightly, "funny thing is, we're a weird group of friends. See, all the girls are good friends. Then you have me and Kojyuro, who are good friends, me and Motochika, who are acquaintances, and me and Ishida, who are... not friends."

I look at Ieyasu in shock, "so wait a second. You guys all decided to get along because of your girlfriends?"

"Sorta'," Motochika talks this time, "Kojyuro and I have been friends and foes all throughout high school. Uh, I didn't go to your school though, ha ha! It was mostly in basketball, you know? Our school and your school got together in the park courts after school sometimes to have a few friendly matches, usually on Fridays."

"Oh! So which school did you go to?" I lean against Kojyuro, seeing as he's not letting me go anytime soon.

"Basara High. Ya'll went to Sengoku High," he grins, "so the thing is, Kojyuro and I, since we get along all the time – well, more specifically we get along when we're in groups – are like mediators between Ieyasu and Mitsunari, 'cause I'm good friends with Mitsunari, get it?"

"Yeah, I get it. Well, at least you're doing it for the girls' sake huh?" the two men nod their heads and I look at Mitsunari again in time to see his head rising from a dip.

"Ah, there she is," he finally speaks, his voice smooth and low. He walks towards her as she comes hurrying down the set of stairs above the ones we're standing on.

"S-sorry I'm late! Class went on a little longer then usual," she pushes up on her feet when she reaches Mitsunari. I blush lightly, _'wow, how shameless, kissing him like that.'_

"Shall we head out then? You're all good to go, right?"

They all give various responses of "yes" and then we're off. I elbow Kojyuro lightly while the others chat around us. He looks at me.

"What?"

"You still haven't told me where we're going," I complain.

"Ah, well, it's a surprise. For you, at least."

"Oh, come on, Katakura!" that's Mitsunari. I'm a bit surprised; I hadn't expected him to talk like that, "just tell her where we're going."

"Fine, fine," he sighs and looks at me, "if I don't tell you he will... Ishida hates surprises."

The group starts laughing and I look back at Mitsunari to see that he's blushing, pouting, and glaring down at Ichi. She looks up at him sheepishly.

"A while back Ichi organized a surprise birthday party for him. That's when we found out he hated surprises. Anyway! We're going bowling."

"Bowling! I haven't been bowling in a while!" I say excitedly. Kojyuro gives me a sly look.

"I figured as much."

I slap him on the chest, "oi!"

"What? You told me that you only ever went to that Internet place where Raphael works. I figured I should take you bowling. Or something."

I grin at him and then notice that he's looking down at my chest.

"... is that lace? Black lace?"

My cheeks burn, "yes, it's lace, black lace. What's it to you, huh!" I cross my arms over my chest. He's quiet, and the others are still chatting around us, Mitsunari and Ichi keeping to themselves on the left. I observe them more to see that they're holding hands. Kojyuro removes his arm from around my waist.

_'Eh?'_ I find his jacket over my shoulders. He's wearing a tank top with a dragon design on it under his jacket.

"Wear that will you? It's gonna' be cold at the bowling ally..." his sentence trails off and his arm returns to wrapping around my waist. Motochika comes up on my right.

"Oi, oi, oi! I heard somethin' about black lace. You don't want anybody else seeing eh? Eh, eh, eh?"

"Tsuru, if you could do something about your nosy boyfriend...?" Magoichi asks while Ieyasu snickers. I hear a short snort of laughter from Mitsunari and then Tsuruhime is dragging Motochika off by his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow, I'm sorry, ow, ow, really, really, sorry, ow!"

"You better be sorry! Do you want me to wear black lace? I'LL WEAR BLACK LACE!"

"Hey, don't shout!" and now Motochika is in control, his hand over Tsuruhime's mouth. Her cheeks are very red.

"How old is Tsuruhime?" I ask Kojyuro as I pull the jacket on properly. He looks down at me.

"Seventeen. Shush about that, a'ight?"

"You are so bad," I mutter, "oh yeah, how far away is the bowling ally?"

"We're walking to it. It's not too far," Ieyasu replies to my question. My ears turn a little red, _'guess they're good at listening in on conversations.'_

We stop at a cross walk, watching the cars go by. The light turns red and shortly after that the walk light turns green. I stand still until the other three couples are in front of us then move along. Kojyuro is confused by this and he leans down to look at my face.

_'Heh. Got'cha,'_ I turn my head and kiss him. I pull back and give him a triumphant expression, which causes him to blush lightly.

"Over the course of these past few months you've gone from stranger, to acquaintance, to friend and finally..." I place my hand on top of the one he has on my waist and drag him the rest of the way across the road.

"Finally, I think, you've made it to lover."

"... are you asking me out?" he asks in a low voice. Ahead of us, Mitsunari turns his head, an unnerving, knowing smirk on his lips. Ichi looks up at him then glances at us, smiles kindly then pulls her hand out of Mitsunari's, looping her arm around his instead. Their glances coupled with Kojyuro's question make me blush uncontrollably.

"Ah, w-what? N-no, I'm not asking you out! Eh, well, that's not true either, um... maybe I am? Ah..." I bring my hand up to my face.

"Oi, you two! Walk a little faster will ya?" Motochika calls to us, unaware of what's going on. Mitsunari punches his shoulder lightly, making Motochika purse his lips.

I quicken my pace and Kojyuro easily keeps up.

"Well, are you?"

"Okay, yes, I'm asking you out," I tell him, gripping the hand he has on my waist more tightly.

"Holy fizz-ma-gizz what?" Motochika looks at us again, his gaze joined by the others as all six people ahead look back at us two. Kojyuro's lips twitch up in a smile, his green eyes brightening.

"Do I have to skip class?"

"Yeah you do. I'll take you to supper somewhere near the bowling ally," I decide, wishing that the gazes of his friends' would stop making me so nervous.

"Okay then. Ieyasu, your notes, or I stalk you," he tells his brunette friend, who gives him a distressed look.

"Anything but stalking! I'll make my notes decent," he tells Kojyuro. Kojyuro laughs. The two of us fit ourselves between Motochika and Ieyasu; Mitsunari and Ichi walk ahead a bit to give everyone more room.

"Oh, by the way, Kojyuro."

"Hm?"

"You're paying," I inform him, poking him in the cheek.

"Damn it," he sighs, lowering his head. Everyone starts laughing as he speaks, "you asked me out and _I'm_ the one who has to pay? Gawds, woman, what am I gonna' do with you?"

"Lots of things!" Motochika pipes in. He's about to list several things – I can tell by the embarrassed look on Kojyuro's face – but Tsuruhime grabs his ear again.

"Ahhh I'm sorrry!"

I blow a breath at my bangs, "and I hate to tell you this, but Ichi seems like the kind of girl I could really get along with. You're gonna' have to get on better terms with Mitsunari."

"You, are impossible," he complains, smiling down at me. I flick his nose and in return he pinches my hip.

_'I've got a lot of things to tell Itsuki now. Though I feel bad, me with a boyfriend and her not even able to confess. Ah well,'_ I smile to myself and lean against Kojyuro as the bowling ally comes into sight. He's chatting to Ieyasu over my head.

_'I'm happy, just like this. I'm glad I got to meet you again, Kojyuro.'

* * *

_Stay in tune for the next two chapters!


	5. Chapter 5

Cheesy chapter is cheesy.

I've decided not to do a Yukimura x Akihime omake because... I honestly have no idea what to do for it.

Itsuki lacks her accent because I WAS REALLY SMART AND FORGOT SHE HAD ONE.

This chapter concludes "That Boy".

Kojyuro thinks he's funny XD

Yes it's Masamune x Itsuki because... I had it be Mitsunari x Oichi in Japan. O-o. Otherwise this part would totally be MasaIchi~  
**

* * *

Chapter 5: Confession (Omake).**

It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do – confess to someone, I mean. But I had to confess soon, or Ranmaru would never leave me alone and Masamune would graduate and move on. I really had to tell him.

_'Not only that, but,'_ I closed my locker door and leaned against my arm, _'Kasuga will blow up at me if I don't confess this week. Easier said then done...'_

So far, I'd had no luck. Every time Masamune and I were alone together, I would lose my nerve and just when I would regain the courage to tell him, someone would find us. It didn't matter where we were: library, classroom, empty hallway, even the parking lot at the school entrance. Someone always found us – more accurately found _him_, they could care less about me. It's not like they ever knew what I was trying to do.

_'It's my own fault for being so shy. But then, Kasuga's boyfriend did make a good suggestion...'_

He had suggested that I ask Masamune to meet me in a place that only he and I knew about. I'm skeptical about this idea though; there's only two more months of school left, and the graduating class has been going nuts about spending time together as much as possible. I don't think there's a week in which they don't have something planned.

Last week they went bowling one night and out for Karaoke on another. Today they were going to Japanese Barbecue and tomorrow they were going on a junk boat. I sighed.

_'Today is Friday. And like the silly girl I am, I asked him to meet me at the old park road he used to walk me home on. Stupid, stupid, stupid Itsuki!'_ I rake my fingers through my hair in defeat. School's already over and I'm walking with the flow as everyone exits the school.

My feet take me quickly to the school gates and I go on auto-pilot on my way to the road. Since I'm on auto-pilot I forget that I'm meeting Masamune here; it's only when I hear feet pattering on the sidewalk and a gruff voice calling my name that I remember. I stop walking and turn around.

"Itsuki!" Masamune skids to a halt in front of me and catches his breath, "Motonari was blabbering, sorry. Did I make you wait long?"

"Ah, no," I blush and rub the back of my neck, hugging my books closer to my chest.

"Well, what did you want me for?" he asks, gripping the strap of his shoulder bag tightly in one hand.

_'I want you,'_ is how I wish I could have responded but no, instead I hang my head and giggle shyly, kicking my foot against the sidewalk.

"Itsuki?" he ventures, poking my forehead, "hey, what's up?"

I look up at him, cheek's pink, "I need to tell you something."

"Could you repeat that? I couldn't hear you," he teases, flicking my forehead lightly. I pout at him and he chuckles, that boyish grin of his in place. I don't blame him for not hearing me – I could hardly hear myself.

I take a breath and speak more loudly, "I need to tell you something."

Upon hearing my statement this time his grin disappears and is replaced with a confused frown. His eyebrow narrows back over his blue eyes and he scans my face for an answer. I bite my lip ever so much, to stop the quivering.

"Masamune I -" I can't finish my sentence because someone is calling his name. He keeps his eye focused on me as he turns his head to the source of the interruption; it's Sasuke. He's about to say something else but sees me and waves his hand as he backs away. I allow myself a sad smile, _'Sasuke knows, of course.'_

Masamune has turned his head back to look at me by now.

"Ah, I guess you have to go."

"Say what you have to say first, then I'll leave," his voice is firm. I know that it will be pointless to argue with him when he uses that tone of voice with me.

I shuffle on my feet, but decide that it's now or never – at least Sasuke was giving me the chance to say what I need to.

"I like you, Masamune," I can barely bring myself to look at him, but I do, and see him giving me that "what-are-you-talking-about?" face.

"I know you like me but -"

I shake my head, giving him a sad smile, "no, Masamune, I _like_ you. I really like you."

Now that his mind has processed the actual meaning of what I've said, his eye widens. I look up over his shoulder to see Sasuke poking his head around the corner of the building. He looks nervous, the way he keeps turning his head and waving frantically at someone.

_'Masamune will be late... he'll hold everyone up and it will be all my fault.'_

"Well, Sasuke's waiting and I don't want you to hold everyone up so you should go."

"Itsuki -"

"I'll see you on Monday. Bye! Have fun!"

"Itsuki -!" I turn quickly on my heel, trying to block out the image of him reaching towards me with a confused and worried expression. I walk until the corner where I turn, and now that I'm sure he can't see me I break into a run all the way home.

Once home I say hi to my mom and dad then quickly go up the stairs and into the room, throwing myself on my bed. My heart is pounding in my chest and I can feel the warmth from my cheeks on my pillow.

_'I told him. I can't believe I actually told him. I should tell Kasuga that I told him. Oh my gosh, what if he rejects me? I don't know if I'd be able to take a rejection...'_ I'm not going to cry. I didn't give him a chance to respond after all; I just left.

I turn on my computer and tell Kasuga exactly that in a short email, and send it off. Lately her boyfriend, Kojyuro, has taken it upon himself to write me a paragraph every once in a while, in her emails to me. She tells me that it annoys her but he's too strong for her to prevent him from doing so.

I was skeptical about the guy at first: someone she'd barely known in High school who just so happened to recognize her, played a guessing game with her about who he was and kissed her out of the blue several times. When I saw a picture of the two of them together, all lovey-dovey, cheeks pressed together making cute faces and I couldn't see Kasuga with anyone else.

_'Thinking about Kasuga and Kojyuro is a good thing for me to do, rather then worry and fret over Masamune and his reply to me,'_ I lie back down on my bed, folding my arms behind my head. After I'd seen how well they got along – _'that skype conversation was hilarious' –_ I threatened him in an email that if he ever broke up with Kasuga I would come after him with a pair of scissors and a buzzer and cut off all his hair. It was my fault that the "I-will-take-a-paragraph-of-Kasuga's-email-to-talk-to-her-friend" thing started, all because I just had to make that comment.

I sigh, _'though it doesn't help that Kasuga can't wait to see me and Masamune together. I can't believe how confident she is that he's going to reciprocate my feelings... and I can't help hoping she's right.'_

It's Sunday. I got a reply from Kasuga who was overly ecstatic about the fact that I had confessed to Masamune. And Kojyuro, being the sneaky devil that he is, added his own little thing at the end of the email that went like this: "OH GAWDS SOMEONE CALL THE DOCTOR ITSUKI CONFESSSSSSSSSSSSED! Kasuga is really mad at me for typing this, by the way, she is squishing my face. And making me make fish lips. Personally I think she wants a kishougha;ga;u DAMN IT KASUGA". I giggled non-stop for five minutes after reading that.

_'She must have pressed a bunch of keys before he managed to incapacitate her,'_ I shake my head at my own vocabulary. I used to have an accent back in primary school, but so many of my classmates teased me for it so I worked on a... well, accent less accent. Or less southern sounding more "normal" sounding.

I haven't heard from Masamune at all the past two days, and so I'm nervously waiting for Monday. I've only told Kasuga that Masamune is busy with grade twelve things and has yet to respond to me. She told me to tell him that if he rejects me that she will come to Canada with a pair of scissors and a buzzer and cut all his hair off – she also told me that Kojyuro nearly died of laughter at that point. He likes to read her emails over her shoulder, apparently, while resting his chin on said shoulder. I think it's a cute image.

_'But of course I'm not going to tell Masamune that... I know she's just trying to be funny but... ugh, this is so nerve racking!'_ I scratch my head. Sunday night has quickly come around and I toss and turn in my bed, unable to sleep.

My phone starts vibrating and I stare at it. It's on my table top, right next to my bed. After a moment it stops vibrating, and I wait to see if it will vibrate again. When it doesn't, I pick it up. My heart stops for a moment in my chest when I see that I have received a text – from Masamune.

_'It's not what I think, it's not what I think, it's not what I think,'_ I repeat to myself. He might reject me, but I know he wouldn't do so through a text. He's not that kind of guy. But even knowing this I can't stop my hands from shaking as I flip open my phone and select the option "read".

All the text says is: _"I need to talk to you tomorrow"._

I swallow nervously, _'should I reply? If I reply he'll know I'm awake and then he'll probably call me and if I don't reply he'll think I'm sleeping...'_

But I can never not reply to Masamune and so I reply with a simple _"'kay"_ and hope that that's enough for him and that he doesn't call me. I fall asleep shortly after I set my phone down.

It's Monday afternoon, school's almost finished and I haven't seen Masamune all day. I'm watching the clock tick by slowly and decide that this is the longest five minutes of my life. I've given up listening to whatever my teacher's saying, and feel a stare on me.

I turn my head from looking at the clock to see that Ranmaru is the one who's staring; he quickly looks back at the front of the classroom. As soon as the bell rings I bolt for the door. I can't talk to Ranmaru right now. I'm too nervous.

When I turn the corner to get to my locker I stop dead in my tracks. Masamune is leaning against my locker bank, just staring off into space. I'm on his blindside, and I swallow thickly, walking the distance from the corner to my locker while other students mill about me. I in front of my locker, staying quiet and raising my hand shakily to unlock my locker; I have to put my books back in it, after all.

Suddenly Masamune has my wrist in a tight grip and he looks down at me, his expression serious. I stare up at him and the students closest to us go quiet.

"Come with me," he says gruffly, and though he says to come he drags me down the hall – I drop my books in the process of being dragged. Behind me I'm sure I hear Ranmaru yell something, and this only serves to make Masamune drag me away more quickly.

I can't think of anything to say until he has dragged me off school grounds and into the park. My mouth flaps a few times before I finally manage to form words.

"A-aren't you doing something with your class t-today?"

"I told them I won't be coming," he replies and we stop on the pedestrian bridge over the nearby river. He doesn't turn to face me – I'm shocked that he's not going to the barbecue with his class.

"W-why aren't you going?" I try pulling my hand out of his, but his grip is too strong.

"... because I... don't..." I can hardly make out what he's saying, and I try to disengage from him again, clawing at his hand with my fingers.

"I can't hear you, Masamune!" - he turns around and jerks me his chest, releasing my wrist and wrapping his arms around me. I stand very still, my eyes wide as I listen to his heartbeat.

"You never gave me a chance to respond, you see?" he mutters, "I always thought that – maybe it would be strange that I -" he doesn't finish his sentence. I clench my fists in his shirt, pressing my face harder against his chest.

"Strange that you what?"

"Strange that I like you, because you're three years younger then me," he finishes, looking down at my face. I blush, burying my face in his chest again.

"I was so sure that you would -"

"Reject you, Itsuki? Nah, why would I do that? I like you, you see? And you like me," he kisses my forehead, "at least now I have a reason to stay in Canada."

"Have a reason to...?" I blink up at him. He grins.

"Yeah. I was planning on going to America for university but... I guess I can here. Go somewhere local, you know? Nearby..." he brushes his thumb over his cheek, "stay here 'till you graduate, at least. Whattya' think?"

"That would... make me really happy," I reply, unable to keep a few tears from escaping my eyes. He hugs me again and I used to never understand why girls always cried at points like this. Now I knew why.


End file.
